Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Electricity generation from low-carbon sources was 188.3 terawatt-hours in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in United Kingdom, 1920–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 188.3 terawatt-hours for electricity generation from low-carbon sources in 2025. That is the highest value across all 106 years on record.
The figure is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 22.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation from low-carbon sources in United Kingdom peaked at 188.3 terawatt-hours in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.01 terawatt-hours, in 1921.
United Kingdom ranks 12th of 209 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 0.0365 terawatt-hours | 0.01 terawatt-hours | 0.136 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.5902 terawatt-hours | 0.32 terawatt-hours | 0.988 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1940s | 1.02 terawatt-hours | 0.719 terawatt-hours | 1.33 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1950s | 2.81 terawatt-hours | 1.04 terawatt-hours | 7.07 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1960s | 23.18 terawatt-hours | 10.68 terawatt-hours | 32.38 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1970s | 36.65 terawatt-hours | 30.55 terawatt-hours | 43.98 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1980s | 57.8 terawatt-hours | 40.98 terawatt-hours | 76.51 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 93.49 terawatt-hours | 71.48 terawatt-hours | 108.14 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 93.07 terawatt-hours | 74.43 terawatt-hours | 99.63 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 138.5 terawatt-hours | 88.32 terawatt-hours | 175.92 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 180.67 terawatt-hours | 168.59 terawatt-hours | 188.3 terawatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More climate change data for United Kingdom
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.7% (2100)
- Population growth 0.3% (2025)
- Population, total 69.49 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.4% (2025)
- Urban population 57.90 million (2025)
- Urban population 83.3% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 4.53 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 80.08 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 4.53 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 4.53 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electricity generation from low-carbon sources in United Kingdom?
- Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in United Kingdom was 188.3 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest electricity generation from low-carbon sources recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 188.3 terawatt-hours in 2025.
- What is the lowest electricity generation from low-carbon sources recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.01 terawatt-hours in 1921.
- How does United Kingdom rank for electricity generation from low-carbon sources?
- United Kingdom ranks 12th out of 209 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity generation from low-carbon sources rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Electricity generation from low-carbon sources. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 106 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours. Low-carbon sources correspond to renewables and nuclear power, that produce significantly less greenhouse-gas emissions than fossil fuels. Renewables include solar, wind, hydropower, bioenergy, geothermal, wave, and tidal.